Valve device.



V. BLOOM.

VALVE DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 12, 1907.

Patented July 13, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

V. BLOOM.

VALVE DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1907.

927,632. Patented July 13,1909.

' 4 BHEETS-SHEET Z.

v BLOOM. VALVE DEVICE.

- APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1907.

927,632. Patented July 13,1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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V. BLOOM. VALVE DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1907. 927,632.

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nmniw, a. cmum m. rnovo-Lnuoummiaswuwmmom u c Patented July 13, 1909.

T FFIOE.

VICTOR BLOOM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VALVE DEVICE T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'Vio'ror. BLOOM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a valve with an automatic cut-off feature to control and shut off the supply of water or other liquid to any given vessel upon reaching a predetermined depth.

In the accompanying drawings my improvements are shown in connection with a washing machine. Here my automatic cutoff valve is decidedly valuable, because one operator ordinarily takes care of many machines, and since each machine is emptied and filled scores of times a day, constant attcntion is required of the operator to see that each machine is filled without overflowing and likewise to such depth as may be desired. Obviously great care is required on the part of the operator and if the machine overflows, damage in addition may ensue. l Vith my invention however, no care whatever is required on the part of the operator beyond setting the indicator dial on the device to a point corresponding to the depth of water desired. The water, hot or cold or both, will then automatically shut off when the predetermined depth has been reached without further attention from the operator.

In the drawings which represent only one embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a washing machine with my improvements attached and shown in front elevation partly in section; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1 as seen from left to right in that figure with most of the washing machine broken away; Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational and sectional view of the devices shown in the upper part of Fig. 1 Fig. 4 is a sectional view partly in elevation through 14 in Fig. 8 looking in the direction of arrow; Fig. 5 is a sectional view partly in elevation through 55 in Fig. 3 looking in the direction of arrow; Fig. 6 is a horizontal section partly in elevation through 66 in Fig. 3 looking in direction of arrow; and Fig. 7 is a top plan view of an indicator dial and related devices shown in side elevation in the upper right hand corner of Fig. 8.

Describing now my invention by particular reference to the devices of the drawings, 1

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 12, 1907.

Patented July 13, 1909.

Serial No. 383,442.

is a cylinder or tank of a washing machine; and 2 and 3 are hot and cold water supply pipes thereto. Since the devices belonging to the two supply systems are practically duplicates of each other and in some cases are identical because common to both, I will for convenience in the following description refer primarily to the devices controlling the supply pipe 2 and to the other only when advisable or necessary although the double shut-off valves, compactly located in a single housing, are regarded as a Valuable feature of my invention.

The water from supply pipe 2 enters what may be called an inlet chamber A through the bonnet 1 of main valve 5. This valve is conveniently circular in horizontal section; has a ring of packing material 8 on its under side where it contacts with its seat 7 and is carried on a valve stem 6 to be reciprocated with said stem to seat and unseat the valve.

The chamber B below the valve 5 may for convenience be called an outlet chamber and (-onununicates by an opening 26 with delivery pipe leading to the washing machine as best shown in Fig. 2. l/Vhen valve 5 is seated, no water can flow from the inlet chamber or supply pipe into the outlet chamher or into the machine. This can only occur when the valve 5 is unseated as shown for example by valve 5 on the right hand side of Fig. 3 which is the valve corresponding to valve 5 but belonging to the other supply pipe 3. Mounted on the lower end of valve stem 6 is a piston 10 which preferably takes the form of an inverted cup. This piston 'lits slidingly with suitable snugness within a removable inverted cup-shaped bushing or member 9, the valve stem 6 passing through a hole in the top of the latter member. The area of piston 10 is greater than that of valve 5 and consequently, being opposed, equal lluid pressure applied to both, will cause the piston to overpower the valve and will result in automatically unseating said valve and will therefore automatically open up communication between the inlet and outlet chambers to supply water to the machine. To convey water to accomplish this result from the inlet chamber A underneath the piston 10, that is to convey it into what may be called piston chamber O, I provide a connecting passage 1212. This is a continuous passage although Fig. 3 shows it apparently divided at the middle. The drawing necessarily shows it so, because Fig. 3 is a view along a single plane and consequently cannot show the entire passageway 1212 because said passageway at its middle bends out of the plane of Fig. 3 after the manner shown in Fig. 5, which is a view taken through line 55 in Fig. 3. The passage 12 12 is therefore continuous and is adapted to deliver water from the inlet cham her A underneath piston 10, and will do so whenever said passage is not obstructed by ried on stem 16 which projects through cover 17 and stu'liing box 18 to have its free end 19 exposed below the casing of the valve. When operating valve 14 is seated and passage way 1212 between the inlet and piston chamber closed, the supply water being cut 0H fromthe piston 10 and now acting only on valve 5, seats said valve and consequently cuts off the supply water from outlet chamber 10 and from the machine. The valve in thus seating itself, carries with it and depresses the piston in chamber C and consequently expels the water from said chamber. This water escapes through the lower part of passage way 1212 in Fig. 3 and out through an exit passage, comprising openings between radial wings 21 on operating valve stem 16 (see Fig. 5), leading to chamber surrounding valve stem 16 and thence through the opening in adjusting valve 24. This valve 24 may be of any usual construction to permit adjustment of the size of its delivery opening, whereby the escape of the water expelled by the lowering of piston 10 can be made slow or rapid as desired and consequently the action of the supply water in seating valve 5 can be cushioned and controlled. Moreover the inverted cup form of piston 10 tends to retain an aircushion under it to prevent excessively sudden closure of valve 5. When the operating valve 14 is unseated to leave passage 12-12 unobstructed to the flow of supply water underneath piston 10 to open valve 5, it at the same time acts to cut off the described escape of water through adjusting valve 24 by having its underside provided with preferably a tapered portion 22, which coacts with a corresponding seat 23 to completely close the exit passage, and is automatically retained in this position by the pressure of the supply water in passage 1212.

I will now describe the devices for auto matically controlling the action of the operating valves either both together or each independently: Operating levers 27, fulcrumed at 28 to supports 29, project under the operating valve stems 16 and 16, there being one lever for each stem as shown in Fig. 6. Each lever has a projection 30 adapted to be received within latches 32 pivoted at 33. The relation of parts is such that when the levers 27 are supported by the latches 32, the operating-valve stems 16 and 16 will be in their lowermost position with the operating valves 14 and 14 unseated. When however, the levers are unlatched, their handle ends will fall with consequent elevation of their other ends, which in turn lift the operating-valve stems 16 and 16 to seat the operating valves 14 and 14 and thereby effect complete closure of the passage ways between the valve (or inlet) and piston chambers. Each latch 32 pivoted at 33 carries a lug 34 which rests on one arm of aU shaped member 35, pivoted at its free ends at 36 and pivotally connected at its closed end with a depending member which latter is inturned at its lower end to form a projecting lug 41. This lug projects through a vertical slot in a stationarily supported tube 39 to come in contact with a series of spirally disposed lugs 38 on stem 37, when said stem is moved lengthwise through the tube with some one of said projections vertically under lug 41. The stem 37 is supported to be movable lengthwise and also to be turned on its axis to bring one or other of its projections 38 as desired under lug 41, by providing on said stem a feather or ridge 42 and receiving said stem and feather through a suitable notched opening in a suitably supported rotatable member 43. This rotatable member also acts as an indicator-dial as hereinafter explained and for this purpose is provided with graduation marks and furthermore has a series of depressions or niches 44 around its barrel, into which the end of the spring pressed member 45 is adapted to be received, to hold the indicator stationary in any of its positions of adjustment as desired. If rotated, the indicator will carry with it stem 37 and projections 38. These being located spirally around the stem each of them vertically under a graduation on the indicator, it follows that turning the indicator and securing it stationary in some of its graduated positions may be made to bring the corresponding projection 38 in line with lug 41. On the lower end of stem 37 is a hollow ball or float 46 and containing both stem and float is a cylinder 47 in communication at its bottom by pipe 48 with the inside of the washing machine. The water delivered to the machine from pipe 25 and supply pipes 2 and 3 will therefore have a corresponding level in the cylinder 47. The float 46 will follow this level and lifting stem 37, will cause whichever projection 38 is in line with lug 41 to contact with said lug and lifting said member 40, will correspondingly lift the U shaped member 35 and the lugs 34, which they carry, of the latches 32, thereby withdrawing said latches from the pins 30 on the operating levers. These will thereupon drop and by so doing as already explained, will shut the operating valves, which in turn act to shut the main valves. The supply of water to the washing machine thereupon stops. By designing the parts so that the spirally disposed pins 38 correspond each to various levels of water in the machine and graduating the indicator 43 accordingly, it follows that the device can be set to cut off the supply of water to the machine at any predetermined level. Thus by turning the indicator to bring the lowermost projection 38 in line with lug 41 it follows that the supply would not be cut olf until projection 38 had moved from the position shown in. Fig. 1 up to and against lug 41, which would be the case when approximately this level of water had been filled into the machine. The same thing applies correspondingly to each of the other projections 38.

The operation of the devices shown is as follows: Assuming that the wasl'iing machine is empty and that it is desired to fill same with hot and cold water to any given level, the operating levers are raised and latched, and the indicator dial rotated to the number corresponding to the number of inches of water desired in the machine. As soon as the operating levers are raised, the flow of hot and cold water from the supply pipes opens the operating valves and immediately thereafter the main valves by the pressure of water upon the pistons carried by said valves overpowering the pressure on the valves themselves all as previously explained. The main valves being new open, the hot and cold water delivers into the outlet chambers and thence into the common delivery pipe 25 leading to the Washing machine. The water continues so to flow and the washing machine to ill with corresponding level of water in cylinder 47 until said level is at the predetermined height set for on the indicator dial, when the lloat 4L6 rising with the level of water raises the particular projection 38 corresponding to the desired level into contact with the latch tripping mechanism and will trip the latches supporting the operating levers which will thereupon drop and elevate and close the operating valves. This will cut oil the supply of water to the pistons and the pressure on the valves being new uncounteracted will seat said valves thereby shuttin elf the supply of hot and cold water to the machine. The combination of apparatus is such also that either both hot and cold water can be supplied to the machine with the control of both when the predetermined level is reached, or either hot or cold can be so supplied with the same control and the other kept shut oh. This is accon'iplished simply by latching only the lever belonging to the water supply, hot or cold, which it is desired to deliver to the machine, and leaving the other unlatched. The effect will be that the unlatched lever will keep its operating valve closed from the start and will consequently keep its main valve likewise closed, and there will be no supply of water on that particular side to the machine. Gn the other hand the latched lever will permit supply of water from the supply pipe to which it belongs but will be released and will shut ell said supply automatically when the predetermined level of water is reached as previously explained for the case where both operating lovers are latched.

The member 4-0 is connected by spring 49 with the U shaped member 35 to hold its lug 41 at all times normally in the path of the projections 38. Should however the projections 38 for this or any other reason get by the lug 41 without acting on it to trip the latch mechanism, water would run indelinitely, and to prevent such a contingency, I provide a yielding member 51 (Fig. 3) supporting the U shaped member 35 by a rod 50. The aforesaid member 51 has an opening through it for the stem 37 to pass through but not large enough to permit passage of the projections 38. Consequently should the projections 38 escape the lug 41, the top-most one is bound to elevate yielding member 5]., and through rod or wire 50, will lift latch-supporting member 35 and consequently will release latches 32 from the o aerating levers 27 and shut oil further supply of water to the machine.

The front of lug 4H. may be beveled as shown in Fig. 3 to prevent it from catching on any of projections 38 as they descend with stem 37.

A passage or duct 52, Fig. 4, may be provided from the piston chamber above piston 10 leading to delivery pipe 'lhis permits the escape of water that has made its way into the piston chamber above the piston.

It will be noted that in Fig. 4 the water inlet pipe enters the side of the casing. This is a preferable construction, for it leaves the bonnet or cover easy to be removed without disturbing anything. Further, in said ligure it wi'd be observed that the body is cut away on one side and the cover is added to, so that the cover thus rests at an. angle and makes a joint at an angle, it being found preferable to have it arranged this way. In some of the other figures, another modified but equivalent form of arrangement for the water pipe is shown. The operating valves in Fig. 5 are provided with a holder or bonnet, that of one valve being separate from that of the other valve, said bonnets being separate from the bottom cover so that it is thus possible to remove and replace any one of the parts quickly without disturbing anything but the levers. Further, it will be observed that the stem 87 is turned and secured in any desired position, as is clearly indicated in the figures of the drawing. The special means for turning and securing stem 37 can be modified.

Many changes may be made throughout the entire construction without varying from the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An automatic fluid controlling device consistin of the combination with a housin containing a pair of inlet and outlet chambers, of hot and cold water pipes, valves controlling the passages between said chambers, pistons for opening and closing both of said valves, a pair olt water passages in said housing intermediate of said valves and leading to the piston chambers, operating valves, and exterior automatic tripping and timing devices.

2. In combination with a receptacle adapted to contain liquid, an inlet; an outlet leading to the receptacle; a valve controlling an opening between the inlet and outlet; a piston adapted to overpower and open the valve when both valve and piston are exposed to the same liquid pressure, said piston working in a chamber which communicates with the inlet by a passage-way; an operating-valve controlling said passage-way having an externally projecting stem; a pivoted lever adapted when released to press against said projecting stem to close the operating-valve latch means adapted releasably to support the pivoted lever to prevent it from closing the operating-valve; a float adapted to follow the liquid level in the receptacle; a stem carried by said float having a plurality of projections; said stem being supported. to have endwise motion and also to be turned to bring one or other of its projections in po sition to release the latch means upon end wise movement of the stem.

3. In combination with a receptacle adapted to contain liquid, an inlet; an outlet leading to the receptacle; a valve controlling an opening between the inlet and outlet; a piston adapted to overpower and open the valve when both valve and piston are exposed to the same liquid pressure, said piston working in a chamber which communicates with the inlet by a passageway; an operating-valve controlling said passage-way having an eX- ternally projecting stem; a pivoted lever adapted when released to press against said projecting stem to close the operating valve; a latch adapted releasably to support the pivoted lever to prevent it from closing the operating-valve; a duplicate inlet; a duplicate outlet leading to the receptacle; a duplicate valve controlling an opening between the duplicate inlet and outlet; a duplicate piston adapted to overpower and.

open the duplicate valve when oth duplicate valve and piston are exposed to the same liquid pressure, said duplicate piston working in a chamber which connects with the duplicate inlet by a passage-way; a duplicate operating-valve controlling said passage-way and having an externally projecting stem; a duplicate pivoted lever adapted when released to press against the projecting stem of the duplicate operating-valve to close it; a duplicate latch adapted releasably to support the duplicate pivoted lever to prevent it from closing the duplicate operating-valve; a latch-supporting member upon which both the latch and the duplicate latch rest and adapted to be operated to release said latches from their respective pivoted levers a float adapted to follow the liquid level in the receptacle and having a stemwith a plurality of projections, said stem being supported to have endwise motion and also to be turned to bring one or other of its projections into position to contact with the latch-supporting member to release the latches.

In witness whereof, I have signed my name to the foregoing specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VICTOR BLOOM. Witnesses N. SANDBERG, J. LINDBERY. 

